Loving Israel

PICTURE THIS...

ONE FOR THE BOOKS

After 2 long days of travel, we finally reached The Holy Land of Israel!  We arrived at the airport in Tel Aviv early Monday morning, exhausted.  But our day was packed with fun activities that motivated us to push through the day and fight the jet lag within us.  We started our day by interacting with the group in some team building exercises.  We broke the ice in one game where we had to play rock paper scissors but with a twist.  We started as an egg, worked our way to a chicken, then to a dinosaur, and the final winners acted as Elvis Presley.  We all felt pretty funny doing it, but I feel that it really started us to connect with one another as a group. 

After, we split up into groups and did a scavenger hunt around Tel Aviv.  Tel Aviv truly opened my eyes to how beautiful Israel is.  With large, intricate trees lining the pathway that we walked through, it really felt like we were living in the moment.  We got to see some powerful graffiti around the city and understood how Israelis could anonomously voice their opinions about issues they felt were important.  After a wonderful lunch, we drove to our exquisite kibbutz.  We split into our rooms for the next two nights and got to experience a complimentary dinner in the dining hall.  Following dinner, we had a debriefing session.  Debriefing sessions are our time as a group to sit down all together and talk about our experience in Israel so far.  It gives everyone a chance to share their thoughts and connect with others.  We shared why we were on this trip and what it meant to us.  People really began to open up to one another and it was a really special time. 

Today was one for the books.  We began our adventure by heading to Tsfat where we got to look around the shops and beautiful architecture that Sefad had to offer.  Many of us enjoyed some of the best Chicken Schwarma around and fell into a food coma.  But we couldn’t be tired yet, because the fun was just beginning!  We then went to go rafting through the Jordan River!  We split up into pairs and entered the Jordan River by being pushed down a conveyer belt.  Entering the water with a splash, we all kayaked down the river together, hitting rapids every once in a while.  Each rapid brought a surprising thrill that we all enjoyed.  Following the river, we got to browse around a Naot factory, an original.  We also enjoyed some great ice cream as well.  We then went to the Mt. Bental overlook.  Walking to the very top of the overlook, we got to see the boardering countries of Israel, including Syria and Lebanon.  With such an amazing view, we were all antsy to take some of the best pictures of the trip yet.  We could all see an Israeli flag marking the boarder between Israel and Syria, and were in awe at everything there was to learn from one of our group leaders Shani, about the history of the boarders.  After a while of exploring, we all headed back to the bus and made our way to the Kibutz once again, where we are all showering and relaxing, awaiting our second dinner of the trip. 

I feel that most of us who have never been to Israel before, we have learned more in these two days of adventure, than we learn in one semester of school.  Learning about the culture and way of life in such a special place, and experiencing everything firsthand, has really impacted our lives and we cannot wait for what else this adventure has to offer!  

- Kelly Giuliani 

UP UP AND AWAY!

So… 13 hour flight and I somehow only managed to sleep for about 30 minutes. I put my headphones in, turned on my Israel music playlist to set the mood and hoped I would drift off into a sleep and wake up hearing the flight attendants playing Hatikvah. I woke up, little did I know, about a half hour after I fell asleep and thought I had slept for hours. Checked my watch and couldn’t believe only a minimal amount of time had passed. Perhaps my mind is so caught up in the adventures that lie ahead that there is no time to rest.

Oh well, that’s one of the things about travel I have become quite accustomed too. No sleep and always on the go. We have about two hours until landing and I have lost any hope of gaining sleep and have just convinced my self that sleep won’t be necessary… I will be so excited to get off this plane and start touring that I will quickly forget I have gone about 23 hours with no sleep. I will sleep when I’m dead, when in Israel there is too much to do and no time to sleep.

Had I slept on this flight I would have missed out on great conversations with the two women sitting on both sides of me. They asked me why Americans are so fat. At first I was kind of offended and then I started to wonder what was I offended for? American society prides itself on meat and carbs. Although I love a good bagel and French fries, Israelis are always so shocked at how poorly balanced our meals are. For breakfast, the lady next to me told me, she was given potatoes, bacon, eggs, sausage, a waffle, English muffin and a cheese Danish. She said that would never happen in Israel. I think that’s one of the things I will be adding to my list of reasons why I need to move to Israel: a good sense of portion control and an understanding of what a truly balanced meal is.

Sorry mom, I haven’t even had a chance to kiss the ground in Israel yet and I already know I won’t be ready to leave after just three months. I have been on many many flights before and never have I been on a flight with complete strangers, from two different worlds, a language barrier and felt so comfortable and had so much to talk about. I LOVE ISRAELIS. I love Israel and I cannot wait to touch down.

- Anna Rubin 

Alternative Spring Break New Orleans 2014

New Orleans: A True Celebration of Community and Culture
By: Laura Williams

My Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans, Louisiana was an experience I will never forget. From the road trip there to the road trip back we had a packed week of service, learning, fun, and friends. Our first day there was Mardi Gras and we got to experience first hand this awesome celebration in the heart of it all. The city was alive and full of families, parades, awesome floats, and of course beads! It was an event I will never forget. 

The next day we started our service. The group went together to a local synagogue to help set up for the Limmud Fest, a discussion based learning conference that brings new perspectives and ideas to Jewish learning and the Jewish community of New Orleans. It was cool to explore their beautiful synagogue and connect to Jews from other parts of the nation, one even went to Tamarack Camps here in Michigan! We also have the opportunity to work with UNITY of Greater New Orleans, this organization supports community member deemed chronically homeless and places them into permanent housing. Our service included organizing boxes of supplies that would be given to participants in the permanent housing program. These packages help them begin the process of creating a space into a home and ensures a higher level of success in maintaining housing. We also handed out fliers to the community surrounding the organization asking for donations, it was a fun and meaningful organization to work with. 

My favorite of the organizations we worked with was Project Green Light. We went around the community and replaced old light bulbs with CFLs to help both the resident and the environment. This project was my favorite because we were really able to spend time with the people of New Orleans, hear their stories, and make real connections, all while helping the environment! In the evenings we would have great discussions where we Asked Big Questions. I learned a lot about New Orleans and the people that live there. I learned about the struggles they went through and how there was a lot more to the story than most of the nation believes. We talked about their community, our own community, and what the most appropriate ways we can lend a hand to others. The service was meaningful, the discussions were meaningful, and the time spent with old and new friends was truly unforgettable.

A special thanks to Repair the World for supporting our week of service.